Jury awards $14M in ConAgra lawsuit

A jury in Johnston County has awarded more than $14 million in compensatory damages to seven former ConAgra workers after a deadly explosion at the company's Garner plant in June 2009.

The seven workers suffered numerous injuries in the blast.

The lawsuit was filed against Jacobs Engineering, which was the company blamed for the explosion. The company was installing a water heater at the plant when an explosion occurred as a natural gas line was being purged.

Four people died in the explosion.

The same jury will return in June to consider punitive damages in the case.